My Pet Ate Something Toxic: What to Do in the First Hour

Most poisonings do not look like an emergency at the moment they happen. The wrapper is on the floor, the animal seems perfectly well, and the sensible-sounding plan is to keep an eye on things. With several of the substances most common in our homes, that plan is the reason the outcome is bad.

The rule that matters most

Act on what your pet was exposed to, not on how it looks. Rat poison takes days to show. Paracetamol damage in a cat is well under way before the cat seems ill. A dog that ate something an hour ago can often be treated quickly and completely; the same dog, once symptoms arrive, is a much harder case.

The window in which a poisoning is easy to treat is usually the window in which the animal still looks fine.

The ones we see most often here

• Rat poison, in both forms: the anticoagulant baits that stop blood clotting days later, and the grain-style phosphide pills sold loose in many markets, which are rapidly dangerous to animals and to people
• Human medicines, above all paracetamol, which is lethal to cats in tiny amounts, and ibuprofen
• Chocolate, especially dark and cooking chocolate, where the risk depends on the dose and the dog's weight
• Onion and garlic, including in leftover salan, which damage red blood cells and add up over repeated meals
• Grapes and raisins, which cause kidney failure in some dogs at unpredictable doses
• Insecticides and household cleaners, including sprays and powders used for cockroaches and mosquitoes
• Dog flea treatments containing permethrin applied to a cat, which is a common and frequently fatal mistake
• Lilies, for cats: even pollen groomed off the coat can destroy the kidneys

What to do in the first hour

1. 1Separate your pet from whatever it is, and check whether other animals in the house reached it too
2. 2Find the packaging, the tablet strip or the plant, and keep it
3. 3Note the time, and estimate the amount as honestly as you can
4. 4Weigh your pet if you can, since almost every decision depends on the dose per kilogram
5. 5Call a veterinarian straight away and do exactly what you are told
6. 6If the substance is on the coat or skin, wash it off with lukewarm water and a mild washing-up liquid, and stop your pet grooming it

What not to do

• Do not induce vomiting on your own initiative, and never with salt
• Do not give milk, ghee or oil, none of which neutralise a poison
• Do not give any human medicine, including painkillers or antihistamines
• Do not wait to see whether symptoms appear before calling
• Do not clean away the vomit or the packaging you will be asked about

Signs that mean go now

• Twitching, tremors, unsteadiness or a seizure
• Drooling, retching, or repeated vomiting
• Laboured breathing, or breathing that has gone quiet and shallow
• Pale or grey gums, or bleeding from the nose, gums or in the stools
• Collapse, or a sudden inability to stand

Making it less likely next time

• Keep all medicines in a closed cupboard, not on a bedside table or in a handbag on the floor
• Use covered bait stations rather than loose poison, and tell everyone in the house where they are
• Read flea products before applying them, and never use a dog product on a cat
• Keep bins covered, particularly around Eid and after parties
• Check which houseplants are in reach, and keep lilies out of a house with cats altogether

If you are reading this with a wrapper in your hand, stop reading and call a veterinarian. An online consultation will tell you in a couple of minutes whether this is a watch-and-wait or a leave-the-house-now, and what to bring with you when you go.